Public-sector cover letter

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES Public Health Service _________________________________________________________________________________________________

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Atlanta, GA 30333

[INSERT DATE]

[INSERT MAILING ADDRESS]

Dear [INSERT HEALTH CENTER NAME],

We are writing to ask for your help!

You will find enclosed two surveys developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the HHS Office of Population Affairs (OPA).

These surveys measure the attitudes, practices, and protocols of providers and administrators who work at health centers that provide family planning services.

If your health center does not provide family planning services to at least 2 women of reproductive age per week, on average, please indicate this on the surveys’ cover pages and return the blank surveys in the enclosed business reply mail envelopes.

Your health center has been selected randomly from a list of publicly-funded health centers across the country.

The first survey, 2018-2019 Survey of Health Care Providers about Family Planning Attitudes and Practices, is to be completed by a health care provider. The survey should take, on average, 15 minutes to complete. The survey includes questions on:

• attitudes regarding the safety of various contraceptive practices;

• practices for providing contraception to patients with certain characteristics; and

• sources of information used for staying informed about recommended practices.

The second survey, 2018-2019 Survey of Administrators of Health Centers that Provide Family Planning, is to be completed by a health center administrator. The survey should take, on average, 35 minutes to complete. The survey includes questions on:

• services provided at the health center and linkages with other providers and agencies;

• aspects of the health center’s clinical practices and guidelines; and

• characteristics of the health center’s infrastructure and community systems.

The information gathered will be used to develop educational materials and tools for providers and administrators related to family planning service provision.

All survey responses will be maintained in a secure manner, and results will only be released in summary form. The information will not be used to assess compliance with federal or other regulations, or as part of your agency’s performance reviews.

We would greatly appreciate learning about your health center’s experiences; however, your health center’s participation is completely voluntary. If you prefer not to participate, please return the blank surveys in the enclosed business reply mail envelopes. As a token of our appreciation, please accept the accompanying provider tool related to family planning service provision.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Lauren Zapata (770-488-6358), or send an email to: [email protected].

Thank you for participating in these important surveys!